Cash For Clunkers Refrigerator Program

A Program that Helped Many Save Money & Energy

In 2010 President Obama found $300 million dollars for his Cash for Clunkers Refrigerator program. It offered you up to $200 towards the purchase of new, high-efficiency appliances.

The program, authorized by Congress, applied to all major household appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, and dishwashers, as well as furnaces and air-conditioning systems.

The cash for clunkers auto program has gone through a second round of funding, and struggling U.S. automakers Ford and GM benefitted greatly. Major appliance makers and retailers happily also saw nice returns from it. Best of all consumers got a significant rebate toward the purchase of a new refrigerator.

Companies like General Electric, electronics retailer Best Buy, Lowes and Home Depot and of course appliance manufacturers Whirlpool, Samsung, Mayag, Frigidaire, Sears (Kenmore) and LG all saw a nice in their sales when this program went into full effect.

Best of all is was not only beneficial to the bottom lines of many companies, but also to our environment. Whirlpool in particular had alreadt been pushing for an efficiency-oriented subsidy program for years.

Energy Star Rebates

Even after this program was finished many power companies are still offering rebates for purchases of any Energy Star appliances. If you've just bought one of these appliances then check to see if you are entitled to receive an Energy Star Rebate from your state government.

This can be a significant savings but will depend on what specific programs are in effect in your state. If you're not a resident of the U.S., there are similar programs being offered in Europe, Japan and Australia. But be sure to check with your local government energy department to be sure.

If you are a U.S. based customer check here to see if you can get an Energy Star Tax Credit toward the appliance. These credits tend to cover projects that are more home improvement related, but check anyway -- the list is quite extensive and you never know what you might find.

The Missing Piece of the Cash for Clunker Refrigerators Program

If only this program had required taking the old appliance offline, then the program would have truly made a big difference in energy usage. Sorry to say it wasn't part of the rebate requirements and now many people have one fridge in their house and a second in their garage equaling an increase in energy usage.

Worst of all the older, less efficient refrigerators are probably being used in an even less efficient room (such as a garage or basement where there is no insulation, thus the refrigerator has to work even harder and in the end use even more energy - possibly even doubling the energy usage.)

Considering how hard it would be to have consumers truck their old fridge in to dispose of it to claim eligibility for the cash for clunker refrigerators program, it didn't seem realistic.

If you want to get rid of an old refrigerator check with your local energy provider as they will probably know who is picking these items up in your area. Some local governments have programs where they actually pay YOU to come and take away your old refrigerator and the number of new programs are increasing every day. For example, the Long Island Power Authority is giving consumers $30 to pick up and haul away their old fridge. This is on top of any government incentive.

These programs won't last forever, so take advantage of them now while you can!

You might even consider putting your rebates toward one of the fridges listed in our TOP 10 REFRIGERATORS!